Lemon Meringue Pie

It seems pretty odd that a blog named “The Lemon Press” wouldn’t have the classic lemony dessert staple – Lemon Meringue Pie – in its inventory. It’s not because I’m not a fan or for lack of trying, I just haven’t found that perfect recipe yet that I felt was worthy of sharing. A few weeks ago, I stayed in this adorably decorated ‘air bnb’ in Palo Alto, CA. Nancy, who lived upstairs, offered up a slice of her original homemade lemon meringue pie, and better yet, a copy of her recipe! I just knew that if I could master the perfect pie crust, we’d have a winning combo. Well, I got the crust down, and after a couple of tries, I managed to recreate that delicious slice of lemon meringue she shared with me. So enjoy these tips and tricks to making the BEST lemon meringue pie and THANKS Nancy for sharing this with me!

You’ll want to use your favorite pie crust recipe blind baked in a 8-9 inch pie dish. Easy tutorial on how to do that here.

Start by making the lemon filling. Sift together the corn starch, flour, and sugar. The corn starch and flour help with thickening. Place the mixture in the top of a double boiler over medium high heat. Add 3/4 cup boiling water (from the bottom of the doubler boiler) and 1 tablespoon of the lemon juice. Cook until the mixture turns translucent, about 10 minutes. Stir almost constantly to prevent any lumps.

Add in the rest of the lemon juice, the lemon zest, butter, and 2 beaten, room temperature egg yolks. Cook for another 5 minutes until thickened. Be sure and keep stirring and scraping the bottom of the pan to avoid clumping.

Since lemon is the star of the show here, you’ll want to go ahead and use fresh lemons. Non-negotiable. Nancy and I like to use Meyer lemons if they are available, since they are a little bit sweeter. If you use more sour lemons then skip the zest.

Set aside to let the filling cool then pour into your prepared baked pie shell.

For the meringue, whisk the fine sugar (granulated sugar will be too heavy and weigh the meringue down), salt, and cream of tarter together in a small mixing bowl. Beat 4 room temperature egg whites in the bowl of an electric mixer until fluffy, about 10 minutes. Slowly add in the sugar mixture and beat until stiff peaks form.

Gently spread the beaten egg whites over the pie in a whipped pattern. Make sure to touch the sides of the crust so they don’t slide towards the center.

Bake at 375 for 8-10 minutes. Watch so it browns but does not burn.

Let your pie cool to room temperature, then pop it in the fridge for a couple hours to let the filling set. Then when you’re ready to serve, let it come back up to room temp.

Lemon Meringue Pie

Treat the lemon lovers in your life to an easy to follow and delicious lemon meringue pie.

Servings

Prep Time

1pie

30minutes

Cook Time

10minutes

Servings

Prep Time

1pie

30minutes

Cook Time

10minutes

Lemon Meringue Pie

Treat the lemon lovers in your life to an easy to follow and delicious lemon meringue pie.

Servings

Prep Time

1pie

30minutes

Cook Time

10minutes

Servings

Prep Time

1pie

30minutes

Cook Time

10minutes

Ingredients

Filling

1/2tbspflour

4tbspcorn starch

3/4cupsugar

3/4cupboiling water

1/2cuplemon juicefresh, about 2 Meyer lemons

1lemonzested

1 1/2tspbutterunsalted

2egg yolks

1,8-9 inchpie crustpre baked

Meringue

4largeegg whites

7tbspfine sugar

1dashsalt

1/8tspcream of tartar

Instructions

Bake your favorite pie crust in an 8-9 inch pie dish and set aside.

To make the lemon filling, sift together the corn starch, flour, and sugar.

Place in the top of a double boiler over medium high heat. Add 3/4 cup boiling water and 1 tablespoon of the lemon juice. Cook until the mixture turns translucent, about 10 minutes. Stir almost constantly to prevent any lumps.

Add in the rest of the lemon juice, the lemon zest, butter, and 2 beaten, room temperature egg yolks. Cook for another 5 minutes until slightly thickened.

Set aside to cool then pour into prepared pie shell.

For the meringue, whisk the fine sugar, salt, and cream of tarter together in a small mixing bowl.

Beat 4 room temperature egg whites in the bowl of an electric mixer until fluffy, about 10 minutes. Slowly add in the sugar mixture and beat until stiff peaks form.

Gently spread the beaten egg whites over the pie. Make sure to touch the sides of the crust so they don't slide towards the center.

Bake at 375 for 8-10 minutes. Watch so it browns but does not burn.

Let your pie cool to room temperature, then pop it in the fridge for a couple hours to let the filling set. Then when you're ready to serve, let it come back up to room temperature.

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About Me

Hi and welcome! I’m Alison and I am the recipe developer, photographer, and food writer for the Lemon Press. I live in beautiful Bainbridge Island, Washington and can’t get enough of dark chocolate and island sunsets. Read More →